Sefefo Long Table with Painted Trim by Patricia Urquiola for Mabeo

Born in Oviedo in 1961, Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan and the Technical University of Madrid, graduating in 1989. From 1990 until 1996, she was Assistant Professor to Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli at the Polytechnic University of Milan and E.N.S.C.I. in Paris. Also during this period, she worked in product development at De Padova, where she and Vico Magistretti created the popular Flower and Loom Sofa designs, among others.

Next, Urquiola became head of Lissoni Associates design group, where her housewares and furniture clients included Alessi, Flos, Cappellini, Cassina, and Kartell. In 2001, she joined forces with Martino Berghinz to open her own studio in Milan, where she continues to live and work today.

Urquiola’s designs combine clean, modern aesthetics with traditional Spanish and Italian crafts (often textiles). She draws upon eclectic cultural elements to humanize her designs. Her architectural work includes hotels, retail locations, and homes. Her product design clients include Foscarini, Cappellini, and B&B. Famed projects include the Fjord chair for Moroso (2002), the woven Flo chairs for Driade (2004), and her Crochet rug for Paola Lenti (2005). Urquiola’s work continues to focus primarily on design and architectural projects as well as exhibition concepts.

Designer-entrepreneur Peter Mabeo was born in the Botswana captial of Gaborone in 1971. In 1997, he began collaborating with local artisans to create custom-made design objects that reflect both Botswana craft expertise—woodworking, textiles, and basketry—and its culture. In 2006, Mabeo established his eponymous atelier—Mabeo Furniture—also in Gabarone. Since that time, the studio has collaborated with accomplished contemporary designers such as Patricia Urquiola, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Garth Roberts, and Luca Nichetto on sustainable, ethically produced pieces and interior design projects that celebrate Botswana craft heritage and support local artisan economies. Mabeo Furniture has moved a few times within the city of Gabarone in order to accommodate its growing demand for space and counts the Nobis Hotel in Stockholm among its clients. 

Mabeo participates in a variety of international design fairs and exhibitions, including Milan Design Week, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, and the London Design Festival. His studio was awarded the ICFF Editors Award for Craftsmanship in 2006 and 2008, as well as the ICFF Editors Award for Best Furniture in 2010.